


Storywalker

by TheLastComment



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Strangest Adventures
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLastComment/pseuds/TheLastComment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was a story I wrote in 8th grade for an English assignment, and I figured I may as well post it. Basically, it was inspired by the question of "what would the world be like if all your favorite books were real. So, I decided to write a story where my protagonist could go into the worlds of her favorite books.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Library

“Welcome! Welcome!” Emmie half heard her uncle shouting. She wasn’t really paying any attention to him anyway. Her uncle had never really been interesting. The only reason she was even half listening was because he had agreed to house her after the house she was staying at burned down. All she had left was the large sum of money that was her allowance, the few things she had with her when it happened, and what was stored in her conveniently fireproof dresser.

Emmie’s uncle monotonously was listing off a whole bunch of rules. She just had her mp3 player record it. She’d listen to it later. Instead of listening, she was reading the latest and greatest book.

She looked up at his house for a moment. It looked so much bigger and grander than she remembered from her annual birthday visit a few months ago. There seemed to be more windows. And, wait, were there towers there earlier? Oh, well.

“Oh, and my library has a few rules uniquely for it,” he began. Emmie decided to pay attention, as she would probably spend a lot of time in there. “I see you enjoy reading. ( _True, oh so true_ she thought.) Rule #1: You may only explore areas I grant you access to. Rule #2: You may not remove any of my books from the library without my specific permission. Finally, rule #3 is that you may not touch the empty bookshelf.”

How can he have an empty bookshelf! Emmie simply did not understand how that was possible. Her own bookshelf was full. Her shelves were covered by books and other stuff that was displayed there. In her world, a bookshelf was prime real estate, not something to be left empty.

Emmie’s uncle was muttering to himself. “Another bookworm? And on the equinox. What shall I do?” she thought she heard him say. “This could spoil my plan entirely. Hmmm… On the other hand, it could work to my advantage.”

What is he talking about? What did I do? Emmie’s mind was racing, trying to figure it out. Something mysterious was going on.

“Now run along and explore your room. I hope you like it,” he told Emmie, with all too happy of a tone in his voice. “And please, do not explore other rooms. I have a few guests, and I would prefer that you not interrupt them.”

“Sure…” was Emmie’s nonchalant reply. She just wanted to sit down and read her book. She was almost to the climax.

As she walked up to her room, a question kept nagging her: why is Uncle acting strange? He was always a bit different, but never like this. And when did he get his mansion renovated? It was never this eccentric. Always a bit big and grand for this part of Brisbane, but never like this. Nobody for kilometers had a manicured lawn, topiary, a huge fountain, European stained glass, and a gated, graveled driveway.

These mysteries were forgotten as soon as Emmie climbed up into her room. Her room was in one of the towers. The room was accessed by a trapdoor with a ladder that came down from the ceiling. Once inside, there were three floors. All her newly picked out furniture was there already, but how it arrived there through the small trapdoor and windows was a mystery.

“Dinner time!” the housemaid shouted. Emmie could smell the different scents of food wafting up to her room. There were a million different scents

“Hurry up, Emmie!” the maid shouted. “We’re all waiting for you.” As if, Emmie thought. You just called everyone for dinner.

“Coming!” Emmie yelled back. Emmie was going through the process; finish the page, mark it and go down.

As she was racing down the stairs, Emmie realized just how large her uncle’s really house was. She was wondering how she could hear the maid all the way up in the third floor of her room. Maybe there was an invisible intercom system. Emmie was considering the possibility that other people lived here. Perhaps her uncle had guests. Either way, she had the feeling the next few hours would be some of the more memorable in her life.

When Emmie got down to the dining room, she had an unexpected sight: a few of her cousins were there! There were also a few guests, but that didn’t matter. She had never seen many of her cousins from her father’s side of the family. She had seen her other cousins many times, but they weren’t her age so they didn’t talk much.

Emmie took a seat next to Clara, the only familiar person, besides her uncle, and the only person she could really talk with.

“Hi,” Emmie nervously greeted Clara. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Clara replied, with a little more confidence than Emmie. “The lasagna is delicious. I’m not so sure about this other dish, though. Uncle imported the chef from Italy, from a little family run restaurant.”

A person, dressed in a chef’s attire walked up to them. He had a very impatient expression.

“So, what you think of your food?” this man asked in a strong Italian accent. He was eagerly awaiting their response.

“Praise him and say you want more,” Clara suggested. “He has been here for the last few days. Every time someone likes his food, he gets all happy. When people don’t like it or are allergic to it, he blows up. Not literally, of course.”

Taking Clara’s advice, Emmie told him, “The lasagna is absolutely delicious. And that other dish there looks very good, also.”

“Ah, good. I hoped my special look pleasing,” the chef said, his face lighting up. “Those are my two best selling dishes.”

The chef left, moving to some other guests, who were allergic to shrimp, which was contained in the special. The chef looked like he was going to blow up, just as Clara said he would.

Emmie’s uncle stood up, ready to give a speech, but still with some dessert on his face. “I would like to give my compliments to the chef. He and his family catered tonight’s dinner. This cannoli is delicious, might I add.” The chef looked so happy. He totally forgot about those rude people, wearing jeans and being allergic to his food. _How dare they be allergic to the best Italian food on the whole and entire planet?_ he thought. _And wearing jeans, too!_ “And, now, I have a more important matter. For reasons I must keep to myself, I must ask you all to remain in your rooms throughout the whole and entire night. If you are in need of anything, simply ring the little bell provided in your room. Now, please, enjoy yourselves!”

Clara and Emmie did just that. They chatted away until they were full on lasagna and cannoli, and everyone else was leaving. They were so involved in their conversation that they did not notice their uncle sneak up behind them.

“I need to ask a favor of you tonight,” he began. “I need you to come down to the library tonight. Get everything that you may want this evening and then meet me at the library doors. I’ll explain more when we get there.”

“Okay,” Emmie and Clara both replied, in unison, with a skeptic tone to their voices.

“Brilliant!” he exclaimed, an excited look on his face.

Emmie and Clara went to their rooms, which were both towers on the opposite ends of the castle. They agreed to meet back there in an hour, and then go to the library together.

“I think I’ll grab my favorite books, my iPod, and something cozy,” stated Emmie.

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Clara replied.

The two girls each went to their rooms, getting the items they required for the night. They then went back down to the library, talking along the way.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Emmie asked.

“Why would our uncle intentionally put us in danger?” Clara replied.

“Good point. I just do not have a good feeling about tonight,” Emmie replied.

“Suit yourself,” Clara told Emmie, not sure why her cousin was acting this way.

“Hey, I have a question,” Emmie whispered. Emmie was a little nervous about telling Clara this, but she felt Clara was trustworthy. “I heard Uncle grumbling to himself today when I came, after he told me all the library rules. What do you think he was talking about? He said something about I could spoil his plan or he could use me to his advantage.”

“Library rules? He just told me to leave certain areas alone,” Clara interrupted, looking stunned.

“Yeah. He gave me rules for the library. I can’t explore certain areas, I can’t remove his books without permission, and I can’t touch the empty shelf.”

“Don’t you think it a little strange that Uncle has some of our cousins here? I mean, we have all visited plenty for birthdays, but never have all of us been here at one time. And it was only I that was invited, not my brother.”

“I know it seems a little strange, now that I think of it, but he couldn’t very well invite my brother. He seemed reluctant to even let me say here. The house I was staying at for my foreign exchange burned down, and my host family told me that as soon as they could find another house, I could move back in.”

Clara and Emmie reached the library. Their uncle was standing on the grand threshold to it. It had elaborate carvings overhead. The style looked to be of a Greek origin. Everyone they passed on the way to the library looked at them strangely, wondering why they were wandering the house close to the time when everyone was supposed to be in their room.

“Ah, good. You’re here,” he greeted them. “I have a small present for each of you. Just don’t open it yet. I’ll tell you when you may. Now just follow me. The part of the library we are going to is off limits at all other times, so don’t be getting any ideas.”

They walked the various hallways of the library. The way they were walking seemed like they were aimlessly wandering, having no clue where they were going. But their uncle knew where they were going. He also knew exactly what sinister deed he wanted his nieces to unknowingly commit this evening, the vernal equinox. It would only require one book, the one in his briefcase, written by him exactly for this purpose, to be placed on the shelf. Then, he could release the worst monsters from the worst stories into the real world, all of them at his command. Then, he could dispose of those obnoxious people who kept visiting him through his library. After he was done with them, he could take over the world. Like a true villain, he kept a straight face and a closed mouth while these thoughts were going through his head.

When they reached a dead end, Clara and Emmie were instructed to open their packages. Each package contained a necklace. Though similar, they were not identical. In her head, Clara estimated that they were worth quite a bit, being made of precious metals and inlaid with various precious stones.

“Yes, yes. Put them on. They won’t do much good sitting around in a box,” their uncle instructed. “And if they don’t put them on, I can’t be sure they can help me in my goal,” he grumbled to himself.

Clara and Emmie put them on. The dead end no longer existed. Instead, there was a long, dark passage. Emmie thought it was medieval style; dark, spooky, and lit by torches.

“Come along, now. We have no time to lose,” they were instructed by their uncle again.

The hallway was one of the most boring Emmie and Clara had ever been through. There was absolutely nothing to look at besides the torches. When they reached the end of the hallway, however, they had a sight they would never forget: a huge library, larger than the one in the mansion. Emmie was positive that they hadn’t traveled down at all, or that the library was slightly more elevated, which would have otherwise been a reasonable explanation. They had spent enough time in the library that she got a good feel for the room’s size, and how much space was left for this. This was at least double the size, and all contained in a small area, at the exact same elevation.

“Never enter this room without me,” their uncle commanded. “Some of us would like to keep the few secrets we have left up our sleeves. I wish I had more time to explain. I am not even sure of the story I know about this place. For now, just live with the fact that this library is here. ( _Not that it will matter in a few days’ time,_ he thought.) I have found a few of the library’s special properties. Different people are meant to handle different properties. These can help you determine your special abilities.” He gestured to a few random objects laid out on the table.

Out of nowhere, surprising all, even the uncle who thought he knew everything that he needed to know about this room, an image appeared, looking very much like a hologram or some image in mist. A face appeared in it. “Leave them alone in here. They have all the magic they need,” it told them, using a rather monotonous voice. Unknown to the listeners, this was to prevent any deep, subconscious memories from emerging, revealing the speaker’s identity.

Their uncle turned and left the room, a scared expression in his eyes. The wall to the hallway and the mansion reappeared. Clara and Emmie were trapped in the magic library.

“Do not bother with the artifacts. You two are special. Use your keys. Find the directions. Experiment. Try not break anything too valuable,” the voice recommended doing. “Then, come find us. We need you, and you definitely do not want to be helping your uncle. He had sinister plans under that smile. We have been watching him for the last few months, formulating his plan to bring the worst monsters from stories to life.” As soon as it was done speaking, the face vanished.

Clara and Emmie took the face’s recommendation, seeing as they had no better idea of what to do, and they didn’t want to bring a bunch of big meanies from books to life. They had certainly read about enough of them. Emmie looked at the back of her necklace. Inlaid in it was a little key, perfect for unlocking little, hidden doors.

“Let’s stick together,” Emmie suggested. “We should explore, perhaps do what this face instructed. Uncle has certainly been acting strange recently. He never seemed like the person to entrust with secrets.”

“I agree,” Clara replied.

After a good period of time of exploring, Emmie came across a hand-bound journal, with delicate, fancy paper for a cover. In faded, gold leaf lettering, there used to be a title. It was indecipherable to Emmie. Unscathed by time, it still had two small locks, just the right size for their keys.

“Come look at this,” Emmie called out. “Do you think this could be the instructions that we were looking for? The locks look to be just the right size for the keys we have.”

The two girls inserted their keys, which fit perfectly. Inside, the journal was full of information. The very first thing it said to do was exactly against one of the library rules. They were instructed to put their absolute favorite books on the big, grand shelf, the only empty one in the room, the one Emmie was specifically directed not to touch.

“I think I’d rather trust this journal over Uncle,” Clara decided. “Uncle did always seem a little bit shifty.

“I agree,” Emmie also decided. “But let’s make sure there isn’t anything else we should also do.”

They kept reading. It revealed no further instructions, so they put some books on the shelf. Fortunately, both of them packed enough books to last an entire month, so a shelf was full.

“I see more directions now,” Emmie said, her voice shaky, body freezing in fear.

“Where?” Clara asked, clearly confused.

“In the carvings on the mantle. And I was pretty sure that they were Greek when I saw them earlier. They tell us what to do next. We have to burn the monsters. I’m guessing that the monsters are little statues, pictures, or books. Where did I see a monster?”

“Um, maybe over there,” Clara shakily suggested, pointing to a painting on the wall. It showed a battle between a Greek hero and a whole bunch of monsters. The painting was huge. If painted by one of the masters, it would have been worth millions. Clara was confidently marching towards it, ready to do whatever she needed to do to it to accomplish her mission.

“Wait!” Emmie called out. “You can go get the painting, but we have to be very careful about what we burn. It also tells us to leave the hero unscathed.”

Clara grabbed the painting, and then went back to her bag of stuff, grabbing a pair of scissors. Her plan was to cut out the hero out of the painting, then burn the rest. It just made life so much easier. When she finished her arts and crafts, there was a perfect cut-out of the hero, not a bit of monster, but all of him and his sword. Emmie put the part with the monsters into the hearth, and suddenly there was wood in there and it was on fire, burning the monsters into dust. The dust was a terrible, yellow dust, smelling of sulfur. A wind arose, and the powder was dispersed.

More messages became evident to Emmie and Clara after the powder was dispersed. A few of them were random notes to self, such as ‘buy more milk’, but more had meaning. The meaningful ones were notes, some to other people, but mainly about books, like how to find a specific secret note. But there was one that was clearly the next direction. Clara and Emmie could each only read certain parts of the message, but it was clearly a message.

“I don’t quite get what that message says,” Clara declared, clearly puzzled by some words on the intricate carvings on the bookshelf.

“Where?” Emmie enquired.

“Above the bookshelf,” Clara responded. “It makes no sense. There are like three words, and then it skips a few, then another few words.”

“Do the words or gibberish come first?” Emmie wanted to know. Now that she was looking at the bookshelf too, she saw what Clara meant.

“Words,” Clara informed her. “They say ‘Entrance to the’”

“Funny. I see random gibberish symbols, then ‘castle of books.’ There are more symbols, then ‘your own risk.’”

“I have the last blank. It says ‘You may enter.”

“Should we enter?”

“How do we enter?”

“Let’s go check out the shelf. If that is where all this started, perhaps it is where it ends.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Emmie and Clara walked up to the shelf. Emmie consulted the journal. There were a bunch of notes on a bunch of books, and then on the last page, hidden carefully near the binding, it said ‘pull the knob.’ Emmie noticed a new decoration on the shelf, a tiny little knob, artfully crafted and well hidden. It was easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. When Emmie pulled on the knob, the bookshelf that seemed so solid and built into the wall swung open. Another dark passage opened, but this one was relatively short, the end distinguishable and distinct. Hesitantly, Clara and Emmie began walking through it. Everything they knew was about to change.

“Whoa!” someone shouted. Clara looked to where the voice came from. It seemed to be coming from a picture. “You two are the first I have ever seen coming from that passage. And neither I nor my friends have seen you, so you must be new. All new entrants must be taken to the executives for, um, a welcoming.”

Upon closer inspection, they found that the speaker was a knight in the painting.

“Okay… Lead the way,” Emmie hesitantly told the painting. “Wait, how exactly are you going to lead us? You’re in a picture frame.”

The knight responded by leading the way, moving from one picture to the next. Clara and Emmie followed. This new place, a castle, was huge. Emmie guessed that it was styled after a European castle. What she wasn’t sure of was their location. The sun was shining in from the windows, and, from what she could see out the windows, the castle was on a cliff. Uncle’s mansion was just outside of Brisbane, where she was staying for some foreign exchange program. Queensland wasn’t particularly noted for cliffs, though. Pristine beaches and surfers, yes. Cliffs, not so much.

“Here we are, lovely ladies,” the knight told them, a strange tone in his voice. “If you ever find yourselves in need of a guide, you simply need to call.”

Emmie and Clara nodded, more focused on what was to happen in the next few minutes with the executives. They opened the grand door in front of them and found a grand hall. Laid out on its floor were various tables, all of them empty. There was however, a person standing by a small door on the right side of the room. She motioned for them to come to her. This lady looked as if she had been expecting them for some time now.

“Please hurry, girls,” the lady ordered. “We do not want the executives waiting. They have been expecting you for a time now.”

Emmie and Clara hurried their pace, reaching the door much quicker than they expected. The lady’s eyes opened wide, but she kept her mouth shut, instead making a note on her clipboard. When they reached her, Emmie and Clara realized that she was actually only a few years older than themselves.

She led them through the door that was behind her. Personally, she didn’t look thrilled about seeing the executives.

“I’m Emmie. This is my cousin, Clara. Who are you?” Emmie stated and enquired.

“I’m Courtney,” the girl told them. “Chances are good that, um, well, I’ll let the executives explain. They don’t enjoy it when others explain things for them. They have a rather dramatic style. I will say that we’ll probably spend a lot of time together.”

The three of them walked through the door. Courtney signaled for them to take a seat. As soon as they were all seated, there was a poof of smoke. Five people appeared in front of them.

“Ah, so these are the new girls,” the first speaker half-stated. The tone of his voice seemed to be questioning, but his body language suggested that it was more of a statement. “The ones that strange knight guided here.”

“Something strange about them. Can’t put my finger on it,” a second remarked.

“Well, you know what we do with strange people!” a third exclaimed. “Throw them in a dungeon and make them do menial work.”

“Wait!” the second person exclaimed. “Those necklaces. These are those girls who were about to be trapped and used by that crazed man with the mansion, the one who wanted to overthrow us. They are the ones we have been waiting for.”

“How could I have missed that?” Courtney exclaimed.

The five people began deliberating. The argument was fierce, with a few of them vanishing away for a moment, usually returning with some book or parchment. When they were done, all of them had a few bruises and an unhappy expression.

“Seeing as we must welcome you here,” the first speaker, now clearly the leader, began, “we should introduce ourselves. We are the executives. We keep our names a secret, even from each other, for security. There are many enemies among us. Instead, we work under aliases. Here, we are simply known by a letter of the alphabet.” All five of them lined up and stated which letter they use as an alias.

“Courtney, show them around. Show them everything,” the speaker commanded. His tone of voice clearly demanded leadership. “Do not skip anything. Then, assign them rooms in your wing, but don’t stay there too long. We need to seal off the connection between their uncle’s mansion and the entrance to our lair. That man has been infected by darkness.”

“You got it. C’mon girls, we have some work to do,” Courtney excitedly declared, jumping up and preparing to leave the room. She made a quick remark to the executives, and then grabbed her clipboard, and left, Emmie and Clara following close behind.

“I never enjoy the executives’ theatrics. All the smoke and stuff,” Courtney told them as soon as they exited into the hallway. “But we have to respect them. But on from them. I’m going to show you around, and then to your rooms, then, we have to go seal off that secret room.”

“Say, you look familiar,” Clara said. “I just can’t think of where from.”

“Yeah. That uncle of yours, he’s also my uncle,” she said, a regretful look in her eyes. “I managed to escape to here. The executives erased everyone’s memories of me, except, of course, those in this castle. Uncle would never recognize me. I was also the one who contacted you. Those necklaces have a tremendous amount of power, and only certain people are destined to use it. There is a third necklace, and I ever so happen to have taken it from our uncle before my escape.

“On a more pleasant note, none of us will ever have to deal with his lunacy again if our mission succeeds. But I have a feeling that this is only a temporary fix, if my hunch is correct. Can you keep a secret?” Emmie and Clara nodded. “Good. We’re going to sneak to another room in my wing. It’s usually locked, no visitors, but I have the key. Not like I’d need it. I know the inhabitant very well. We need to visit him. He has valuable information about our biggest enemy.

“But first, the grand tour, reserved only for a select few people. Most people usually only get a tour of their department, but there are a select few that get all five departments. I was the first one in a long time to get the deluxe tour, but thankfully, there was still this one picture who knew the way. So, yes, my tour was given by a picture. Anyway, I know a lot of shortcuts, and they really speed things up. Others have tried to use them, but nobody but me succeeds. I’m guessing that you two will also succeed. The trickiest part is remembering where they are. Ah, here’s the first one.”

Courtney pulled out a book, and the whole shelf slid back. There was a hallway behind it, and she entered. Emmie and Clara followed.

The whole first part of the tour was boring in Emmie and Clara’s eyes. They were just being introduced to a whole bunch of people who they would never remember, save a few who they could actually talk to. It was the later parts that were exciting.

“Well, here are your rooms,” Courtney informed them, a cheery tone in her voice. She looked pretty tired from part one of the tour. Clara and Emmie had adjoining rooms. Courtney said that they were larger than the rooms everyone else got. Nobody else knew that, though. Nobody else had access to their area, not even the executives, since their wing was hidden behind another secret passageway, accessible only to them. “I hope you like them. Now, we have to finish that last matter: sealing off that secret room. I think it is time that we visited my only friend here. He may be of some help to us. On the other hand, let’s do it ourselves, and then we’ll have more time to chat. I don’t know how long it will take Uncle to realize that you escaped, and with those necklaces nonetheless. He probably doesn’t know that I have this one, or that it even exists.”

The three of them went off to the passage leading to their uncle’s secret room. Courtney explained their plan along the way. The objective was to seal off the passageway leading from his mansion to the library. Then, they could investigate the library. If it was deemed safe, they would keep the passage from the castle to the library open, but if anything questionable arose, the passage would be immediately shut off. No evil could be allowed to infiltrate. Especially not anyone working for Matthew the Villainous, who would stop at nothing to destroy the castle and its inhabitants.

When they reached the library, the room was in flames. Uncle was fleeing the scene. The three of them did the math and figured out that Uncle was a villain. Whether he was independent or allied, they were unsure. But he was certainly not on their side. They noticed that he was carrying a large bag, filled with books and other things from around the room. He, though, did not notice them, so as soon as he left their sight, the girls began to assess the damage and salvage what they could. Most of the books were already contained in the castle, Courtney claimed. A few, though, were not. Those were grabbed. Emmie reasoned that her uncle was taking everything he found valuable, which apparently did not include anything on the grand shelf. When Clara and Emmie tried to grab their books, they were stuck into place. The books would not budge. It seemed as if they had become part of the shelf.

“Let’s get out of here!” Courtney shouted. “We need to seal off the passage, and there isn’t anything of value left in here. I grabbed the last few things Uncle left behind.”

The three of them left. When they reached the castle, Courtney grabbed a few things out of her pocket. First, a matchbox was pulled out. Then, a bag of dust was pulled out. The last thing was a short length of rope. Emmie was instructed to lay the rope out on the floor in a semicircle around the bookshelf that stood guard over the passage. Clara was instructed to sprinkle the powder within the semicircle. Finally, Courtney lit a match, threw the box down into the circle, and threw the match onto the box. When the match hit the box, it ignited, then lighting the powder. A brilliant fire burned, turning various colors. It did not leave the semicircle, though, despite the abundant kindling surrounding it: rows upon rows of books. As the fire burned out, the girls returned to their rooms, this time going to visit Courtney’s friend.

“Here we are,” Courtney informed them, also stopping them in front of a brilliantly bright blue door. They entered the room.

Emmie and Clara were stunned by it. It was one of the most colorful, if not the most colorful room they had ever entered. It was decorated with various posters and crystals. There was a piano in the corner.

“Hello. Who are these, Courtney?” the person in the room asked. He was sitting on the bed, looking up from his book, looking quite peeved at being interrupted.

“These are my long-lost, not so distant cousins, Clara and Emmie,” Courtney replied.

“Good to know,” the person declared, obviously only half caring. “Can I get back to my book? You interrupted me at a most important location.”

“Um, may I ask who you are?” Emmie enquired.

“I’m Pablo. Try not to get me confused with my evil clone, also by the same name. Courtney calls me Friday Pablo, as she had a friend with seven alter-egos. Monday and Friday, he was Pablo, but the attitude varied. Monday Pablo was grouchy. Friday Pablo was friendly. Because I match Friday Pablo, I get called Friday Pablo.

“Hmm… Hey, you’re looking at my map!” Pablo exclaimed. “It is the only one in the world with all the world capitals correct.” He explained how he had a classmate who insisted that the capital of Australia was Canberra and not Sydney. (In fact, Pablo was wrong, his friend correct) Instead of living with a map with the capital wrong, he found one where it was Sydney, and not Canberra. He then added a few other cities.

“Hey! That’s not funny!” Emmie began shouting. She was standing in a castle. A scary looking person dressed in all black was approaching her. His expression was not amused.

“Where were you?” Courtney asked, clearly distressed. “You were here one moment, then gone the next, then back here.”

“I don’t quite know myself. Some sort of castle,” Emmie began. “This creepy dude was quickly approaching me. He looked as if he wanted to kill me, but wasn’t going to do it right away since I had just appeared. I have no clue. Hey, now that I think of it, that dude looked kind of like Professor Snape from _Harry Potter_. He had the exact same clothing and expression and general aura. You know, greasy hair, unamused, grumpy expression.”

“This is not good,” Courtney began. “And I don’t think you should tell the executives. I never did like them, or completely trust them, for that matter. Back to this.”

“We have no need for a bookwalker,” Pablo interrupted. “I don’t want the end of the world coming. Matthew is probably going to orchestrate something grand, try to use you. He seems to find everything out. It isn’t funny. He cannot be trusted. He told one of my secrets a few years ago, and then he went downhill. He always fantasized about taking over the world, but he really went evil after that. He actually started to try to take over the lunch table, make everyone his minions. A few of us resisted, and, well, he wasn’t happy. We all got disappeared.”

“Thanks for that,” Emmie started. “But we can’t just let this Matthew take over the world. Last I checked nobody likes crazy dictators who disappear you for not agreeing with him/her. So, what all can we do to stop Matthew and his loopy cohorts?”

“Gather the artifacts, of course.” Courtney stated, as if this should be the most obvious fact in the whole and entire world. “There are various items of power scattered throughout books. Keep them away from Matthew, and he can’t take over the world. These artifacts are actually what kept Hitler, Napoleon, and Alexander from succeeding in the long run, no matter how well they may have done previously. Without them, they simply didn’t have the power. They were unable to locate someone with the power to retrieve them before their demise. Had they retrieved them, well, I’d rather not think about that. Emmie, as far as I know, you will be the only one able to venture into the books. I have found a few books about those with your abilities, but they are pretty lacking in description. You are welcome to them.”

“Yes. Keep Matthew out of power,” Pablo stated, all too eager. “His fantasizing was fun, but when it consumed him, it wasn’t funny. Know what? Let’s borrow them, have control for a few moments, and change the capital of Australia once and for all. Margaret kept thinking it was some place called Canberra. It is sooo Sydney.” This last sentence only made sense because Pablo had already explained his map.

“I don’t think so,” Clara and Emmie said at the same time.

“You can think it is Sydney all you like, but it is Canberra, and this is coming from two Australian citizens,” Emmie said.

“SYDNEY!” Pablo shouted.

“Fine. Be that way,” Emmie said. It was her favorite expression when people didn’t agree with what was correct. “But you’re still wrong.”

“I will,” Pablo said. “And I am correct. I am ( _Almost_ , Pablo thought, _almost. Stupid math tests_ ) always correct. Now get out. I want to read my book.”

The three girls left.

“Pablo is an…interesting character,” Clara declared as soon as they left the room.

“Yes,” Courtney told them. “He has an interesting past, imagination, and personality. Firstly, and more importantly, we need to devise a strategy. Emmie, we’ll need to keep in contact with you while you are in the books. I have a special journal that will allow us to do so. You have the other end.”

“You mean that journal with the instructions?” Emmie exclaimed, a question in her voice. “I would have never guessed that. It looked so old. I thought someone else left it there as instructions to a future reader.”

“The journal can allow two different people to simultaneously communicate, no matter where they are,” Courtney said. “I hope that it will work while you are in the book.”

“So, what do you think these artifacts are?” Clara asked.

“That’s where you’re going to help me,” Courtney told Clara. “ _Harry Potter_ is obviously where the first is hidden, as that was the first book Emmie visited. We need to figure out what the other books are. What did you put on the shelf?”

“Um, let’s see…” Emmie started. “Besides _Harry Potter_ , I had _The Strangest Adventures, The Hunger Games,_ and _Percy Jackson._ Three of my all time favorite series. In fact, the only one I missed was _Maximum Ride_. I don’t have all of them.”

“ _Harry Potter_ will be the experiment,” Courtney decided, obviously trying to explain it to herself also. “The artifact will be an item of tremendous power, in the storyline of course, but once used, not necessarily vital to it. For example, Harry’s wand is totally out of the question. On the other hand, a candy box is too nondescript to be worth taking. But it would be nice if you could bring some back. I have always wanted to try some of that candy. Sorry, I got a bit off topic there. But seriously, you get the picture? You should probably keep that journal on you at all times. I’m not quite sure how your book visiting will work.”

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to set it down yet,” Emmie reassured her. “Between everything we have done, I have only been in my room for about five minutes.”

“Hey, where’d she go?” Clara asked, quite startled by her cousin’s disappearance.

“Back to the book, obviously,” Courtney hesitantly told her, not realizing it would be this startling or soon. “Let’s get to work researching _Harry Potter_. Thankfully, everyone in the whole world has read it, so, of course we have a few copies.”


	2. Chapter 2

Emmie was once again in the castle, but this time she was armed with a little more knowledge. Hogwarts was grander than she had imagined it when reading, and grander than the movies depicted it. Apparently, her whole thing with book visiting changed her clothes for her and made people think she belonged there.

“Hurry up, Emmie. We don’t need to be late to class,” a girl called. Emmie followed her, noticing that she was also carrying a bag of books. Would everyone be fooled about her presence? Had Matthew already learned of her secret? Could he have minions that could also travel into books? A million questions were floating through her head.

Emmie noticed something strange. Outside, the grounds did not look cheery. They looked dark and wilted. There also didn’t seem to be that many people. Many of those around her carried a scared look in their eyes. Suddenly, it struck her which book she was in. She was in _The Deathly Hallows_.

“Hurry up,” the girl whispered. “We need to get to the Room of Requirement, meet the rest of the group. I cannot stand all these Death Eaters anymore, and neither can the rest.”

Emmie decided to play along. “I know. Let’s definitely hurry.”

They climbed up the flights of stairs to the seventh floor. After a few turns, they found the area of wall where the room was hidden. Soon after, the door appeared. Upon entrance, they found many friends hiding in there already. The room had adapted to their various needs. There was a picture hanging in the back of the room, but its purpose was hidden.

“Hi,” a boy said. Emmie assumed it was Neville. He seemed relieved to see them, but worried at the same time.

A perkier girl with red hair showed up behind Neville. “Hey! I’m sooo glad to see you. How did you survive down there? My parents kept me at home after Easter holiday.”

“Um, I think you better get in. Never know when the Carrows will show up,” Neville said.

Emmie and her new friend came in. Many other familiar characters were visible. None of them were focused on Emmie or this other girl. They seemed intent on watching others in the room, pulling of stunts with various things. Everyone turned their attention when two people stumbled into the room. Was that, Harry Potter? And the girl with him. Was that Luna? Emmie began to figure out where in the story she was. The big battle was about to take place. Harry was talking about some plans, and then, the picture rotated off its hangings, much like a door. A few people burst into the room.

Emmie’s journal suddenly felt heavy in her pocket. She pulled it open and saw the message “What’s going on?” Emmie found a pen snugly hidden and scrawled the message “I’m in _The Deathly Hallows._ The big battle is about to happen. If there is a time to sneak off and find something, now is it. Any ideas on what is it?”

A reply appeared. “Clara and I researched the different artifacts. We believe that the only one that matches a description and is in this story is the ring. You know the one that brings the dead back?”

Emmie remembered. She would have to hide until after the battle, after the resolution, to be able to get it. That would be hours away. How would she spend hours, alone, in a secret hiding spot? As soon as she thought that, time seemed to speed up. A whole day passed by, and it was late evening. Emmie decided that this was like skipping ahead in a book to a particular part. She crept out of the room, seeing only an empty hallway. Then, she crept down the various staircases, intent on only one thing: finding that ring. If her memory served her correctly, it would be on the forest floor, hidden within the snitch. The hard part would be opening it, but obtaining it was her goal.

Suddenly, Emmie found her path obstructed. A group of people were standing in front of her, blocking the door out of the castle.

“Intending on leaving the castle?” the person in the middle asked. “Perhaps looking for a particular item of power?”

“Mind your own business,” Emmie said, clearly annoyed by these strange people.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the mysterious person said. “I am Matthew. These are my best assistants, Monday Pablo, Wablo, Pedro, Meffle, Qualo, and Remaldo. ( _Why did Friday Pablo have to be so perky and help the good guys?_ Matthew thought)

“I have a proposition. You get the artifact for me, and I’ll never bother you again, no matter how much I’d like to. I’ll even pay you a dividend of the riches I’ll acquire from taking over.”

“No. I will not help a villain,” Emmie said, confidently and assertively.

“Be that way. You have made an enemy of Matthew. We will give you five minutes. After that, we will kill you,” Matthew said. “You will be the first blood of the final war.”

Emmie took off. Somehow, she seemed to know exactly where she was going. Time slowed down around her. In what seemed like a matter of moments, she reached her destination. Emmie looked down, finding a little golden ball partly hidden by the leaves of the forest floor. She picked it up, and suddenly found herself back in her room in the castle. Clara and Courtney were there.

“Why did you grab a little golden ball?” Courtney asked.

“Well, I met Matthew, and he gave my five minutes before he would hunt me down and kill me. I grabbed this and was suddenly back here. I had no time to extract the ring,” Emmie said.

“Of course, Courtney!” Clara exclaimed. “Don’t you remember? The ring was hidden in the first snitch Harry caught. It fell out on the forest floor. No wonder Emmie didn’t have time to open it.”

“Ah, yes,” Courtney exhaled. “I remember now. Okay. Well, we have this artifact secure. We can hide it in Pablo’s room. It has the best protections. I think a little locked box. Don’t give Pablo the key. Double protected.

“Clara and I were researching your other books, referencing an old manuscript describing the artifacts. In _The Strangest Adventures_ we are unsure of what you will need. If _Harry Potter_ serves as any example, you will appear at the climax of the final book. In this case, the toy battle on Christmas. We think one of the toys will have the artifact. In _The Hunger Games_ , we think Katniss’s pin is your target. Finally, in _Percy Jackson_ , we think it is some memento left in the Big House’s attic. It’s going to be hard to get all of these items.

Emmie spent the next few weeks in monotony. Nothing interesting happened. She sat around a lot reading. It was okay, she figured. She liked reading. A lot of the time, Emmie was in the library with Courtney and Clara, researching the various books she had put on the shelf. They had to do a lot of it in their secret library, since the executives would be suspicious if they were researching some of this stuff.

Christmas was fast approaching. Emmie decided she should get something for Courtney and Clara. Her only problem was that there was that there wasn’t any shopping in the castle.

“We should go Christmas shopping,” Emmie spontaneously declared one day.

“Yeah!” Clara shouted.

“What’s the point in all the decorations if there is no celebration, no gift exchanges?” Emmie asked.

“I can try,” Courtney decided. “I would like to go shopping myself. The executives are kind of picky about who gets to venture out of the castle and when. I’m lucky to have been able to purchase a few of the pieces from my wardrobe. The executives themselves prefer medieval attire, as shown on the day you arrived here.”

There was a heated debated between the three about whether or not they should ask for permission to go shopping. Truly, it was between the three of them and the little bit of Courtney that thought otherwise. Eventually, shopping won out. Courtney had to go ask the executives for permission.

On December 24, the three girls left through a secret passageway that would lead them to the back of a New York alleyway. It was at the perfect location because the passage was very close to a library parking lot, so they would not be  noticed, and, more importantly, within five minutes of Macy’s. The executives had agreed to let the threesome go shopping, so long as they tried to find some sort of medieval Christmas decoration.

The girls explored the vastness of the world’s second largest department store. Everything was novelty after three months of the castle. They all bought presents for each other, trying to hide them in their bags so the others would be surprised the following morning. It took all afternoon to get perfect presents and medieval Christmas decorations. All of them were exhausted.

“Let’s go get something to eat at McDonald’s,” Clara suggested. She realized how long she had been away from society when she actually wanted American McDonald’s, but kept up the suggestion.

They went along with the suggestion since there was a McDonald’s on their way back to the passageway. All of them grabbed some chicken nuggets, soda, and a soft-serve. Once they finished enjoying themselves, they proceeded back to the passageway. When they reached the alleyway, they saw a bunch of others gathered right where their destination was. In their way, they found Matthew and his assistants.

“We meet again,” Matthew declared. The look on his face showed that he was not happy with the fact that Emmie got away so easily the first time. “I was too merciful last time. I will eliminate you now. No, I’m going to torture you. Torture you until you know nothing but assisting me.”

“Nice try, Matthew,” Emmie teased. She grabbed Courtney and Clara, and then they disappeared.

“How did you know you were going back into the books?” Courtney asked, clearly befuddled.

“I wasn’t really quite sure,” Emmie replied. “I just had this feeling that there was a way to escape, and into the books was the only way I thought that was possible. And so, here we are.”

“Um, where is here?” Clara asked. They were in a large building. It looked new. There were three floors higher than the one they were on, the ground floor. Looking around, they found that the building was Von Gobstopper’s Arcade. It housed toys of all sorts. There was also supposedly a basement, closed to the public, but there was only one visible entrance. It had a velvet rope in front of it with a sign reading “Employees Only.”

All of a sudden, they heard a bang from down the stairs to the basement. Then, some people were yelling something. One look from Emmie to the others made things clear. They had to lie low until morning. Then, they could join the toy battle and locate their artifact. Emmie knew this book very well. Lord Aldor the Illustrious, dressed up as Santa Claus, would ride a sleigh around Drabville, delivering evil toys to the children of the town.

The three went into town, hiding out in the local park where the Christmas celebration and toy battle would occur the next morning. Sneaking around was easy. Nobody seemed to be out. Emmie assumed that they were all in their houses, enjoying the family time and school holiday.

Time passed as the three hid in the bushes. They still had their bags from their shopping, so they decided to exchange presents a few hours early. All of them enjoyed their presents. As the sun set, the air became colder than it was when they entered the story. They were thankful that they had warm jackets from their shopping excursion to the Big Apple.

After chatting for hours, drowsiness began to set in. One by one, the three fell asleep. At the crack of dawn, they woke up. People were already beginning to file into the park. Children were clutching their presents from Santa. Parents were trying to keep their children under control. A stage was set up in a large, open area. Children were proceeding up there, still clutching their toys.

“Here we go,” Emmie told them. “Wrap your stuff back up. Then, clutch it like the rest of them and we can get up there unnoticed.”

They all did so, and proceeded up there. A cheery lady at the stage told them, “You were supposed to bring your presents from Santa. You’ll have to stay here in the audience. I’m sorry.”

They proceeded back to the audience, and soon after, children began to open presents, eager to see what Santa gave them this year. Children began to cry out in horror, disgusted at their presents from this year. Once beautiful toys had been marred, armed with various implements that a child should never have access to.

Santa came across the sky in his sleigh. Only this Santa was not large and cheery. This Santa was slim, pale, and radiated pure evil. He called out to his creations, no longer toys but weapons attached to bodies that used to be toys, “Attack!” All the toys responded. Parents tried to surge forth to their children, but Lord Aldor, disguised as Santa, waved his pinkie finger, and a ring of fire erupted around the children, preventing the parents from reaching their frightened children.

Toys advancing, one girl did the exact opposite of everyone else. She stepped forward and grabbed the nearest toy, picking it up and hugging it. The toy instantly forgot its commands to attack, instead returning the gesture and hugging back, dropping his weapons.

As soon as the children saw this, they too began to pick up the nearest toy and hug it. In a matter of moments, all the toys were subdued, cuddling in the arms of children. Lord Aldor let out a mighty moan of defeat. Then he began to mutter something, no doubt to get his revenge on these children for ruining his plots for a third time.

An old man stepped out of the crowd, holding a small box and saying something. Everyone looked at him as if he was mad, but he looked very sure of himself. Suddenly, a blue light raced out of the box. Everyone in the crowd gasped in wonder. The blue light turned into a blue fairy. The fairy then went after Lord Aldor, defeating him and sending him into dust.

“May I have one of those toys?” Emmie asked the nearest person, the girl who had stepped up when the others were cringing in fear.

“Sure,” she replied. “Say, you don’t look familiar. Who are you?”

“I’m Emmie. I’m, uh, visiting for the holidays,” Emmie told her, hoping that that would keep suspicions low.

“Hmmm… Something strange about you,” she thought aloud. “Oh, and I’m Milli. Still, something strange. I’ve never seen you before today. And everyone in Drabville knows everyone. Say, who are you visiting?”

“Oh, fine,” Emmie started. “You win. I’m not visiting here for the holidays. I’m here on a mission. I’m from a different part of the world, collecting various items to stop an evil villain named Matthew. He has a bunch of assistants with really strange names.”

“Well, do you know what it is you’re looking for?” Milli asked.

“Well, I’m not entirely quite sure,” Emmie explained. “All I know is that it is an item of power.”

“These Von Gobstopper toys are very powerful,” Milli declared.

Something caught Clara’s eye. “Could that be it?” she asked, pointing to a ballerina toy.

“Maybe,” Emmie told her, not sure which toy she was referring to in the whole mass of them in the area.

“Poor thing,” Milli began. “She was probably friends with Pascal. She’ll certainly need a home.

“You said you were up against a horrendous, villain, right? I’m willing to help, if you wish. But how will I convince Mum…”

“You can come along,” Emmie instantly declared, not fully thinking her choice through. It just seemed right. “We’ll probably be leaving soon. Actually, as soon as I get that toy. She is definitely the one.

“Grab onto me. I don’t feel like leaving you behind in here, not entirely sure how to get you out.” All three of them grabbed on, and then Emmie picked up the toy, cradling her in her arms.

“This place is astonishing!” Milli exclaimed.

“And where have you been?” an ominous voice asked. “And who is this person? You dared to bring back a stranger!”

“We got kidnapped by Matthew,” Courtney began, acting as their defense. “He tried to pry information out of us, but we refused to comply. Last I remember, one of his minions was poofing us back here with this other girl, Milli. Oh, and we have your Christmas decorations, just like you asked. Merry Christmas!”

“Come on in, Matthew!” the executive yelled. He turned and addressed the girls. “You will regret your actions. You will regret being born!”


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as he was done speaking, Matthew and his assistants rushed into the room. Courtney was quick to act, summoning the other executives. They battled Matthew and his assistants, also taking the traitor who helped him in prisoner.

“Get to your rooms!” Courtney yelled. Then she whispered “Actually, go see Pablo. His room is better protected and he’ll be of more help.”

Emmie, Clara, and Milli raced down the halls. They found the entrance to their wing and proceeded down it. The end room was open, and the burst in, slamming the door behind them.

“Took you long enough,” Pablo shouted. “Courtney hasn’t shown you how to… never mind. I guess she will eventually.”

“Matthew got in here!” Emmie shouted. “And one of the executives is a traitor!”

“Oh,” Pablo said, dumbstruck.

What seemed like an eternity later, Courtney came in, a little battered up, but otherwise fine. “That was one bad battle,” she told them before collapsing onto the bed. “But, we still need to enjoy Christmas. Who feels like milk and cookies? We can real buy presents tomorrow. I have the only credit card in the castle.”

Everyone agreed that that was a brilliant plan. Relaxed Christmas, then shopping the next day.

Everything went to plan. They relaxed, and then went shopping, this time in London. The castle deemed unsafe for the present time, they rented an apartment. Since the castle had an extremely large bank account, a medium sized London apartment was no problem for renting.

The five of them lived in peace for a few months, settling into a routine. None of them were old enough for real jobs, so they did funny little jobs that kids often do: washing cars, walking dogs, mowing lawns. Nobody questioned them. Things were almost normal. There was still a residual fear that Matthew could show up any day though.

One day, Milli was out walking dogs with Clara and Emmie. A strange man started following them from a distance. Every turn they took, he took. Eventually, the half hour that the owners were paying them for was up, so the dogs were returned and the girls paid. After the last dog was returned, the strange man was still following them.

“That guy is starting to freak me out,” Clara told Emmie and Milli. “He has been following us everywhere. Let’s get back to the flat.” All of them had adopted a British accent after little bit. Nobody would know that this was their first time in Brittan, ever.

“Some freaky guy was following us around,” Milli exclaimed as soon as they were inside the door.

A panicked look spread across Courtney’s face. “Describe him,” she commanded, fear evident.

All of them started to chip in information. The end description was slightly above average height, but not too tall, average weight, red hair, lots of freckles, sly smile, and everyday attire.

“Not good, not good at all,” Courtney muttered. “That’s Robert. He was at the castle, part of the staff, but he has a shady past. Used to work for Matthew.”

Emmie vanished again. Into the books, right when my friends need me, she thought. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Before her was a group of large, grand houses. The entire surrounding scenery was rubble. This time, though, Emmie knew her mission. She knew where she was. All she had to do was sneak in, grab the pin, and get out, unnoticed.

A sound startled her, and she dove into the bushes. A few people walked by, then into the house next to her. Emmie heard someone by the name Katniss being greeted, then the people walking again, this time joined by one more person, and knew that must be the house she needed to get into. Emmie looked above her. There was a window right above her head. When she tried it, it was unlocked. Lifting herself in, Emmie found herself in an office. The open door looked out into the kitchen, thankfully empty.

Proceeding cautiously, Emmie crept out of the office, through the kitchen, and up the stairs. Where was Katniss’s bedroom supposed to be? Emmie asked herself. Upstairs, she remembered, but where. Then, she remembered the journal. She had scribbled notes in it recently, but perhaps Courtney could look in the book and tell her where she was supposed to be going. “Where is Katniss’s bedroom?” Emmie scribbled. A few moments later, a reply came, “Third floor.” Emmie ascended the next floor. Katniss’s room was unmistakable. Sitting right on the table was a golden pin with a bird in it. There is was! Emmie thought. Right there. It would be so easy to take it and leave. But she didn’t know where in the story she was. If the capital had been overthrown already, the main story complete, it would be easy to take. But if not, that could mess up the entire storyline. Looking out the window, Emmie saw that people were milling about. A calendar on the wall had a few dates marked on it. One was “Anniversary of overthrowing Capital.”

Emmie wished she had a replacement, identical, but not powerful. Instantly, it appeared in her hand. Emmie grabbed the real pin and placed the replacement down in its place. Instantly, Emmie was back in the flat. Everyone hugged her, glad she was back quickly, and then they were back in the castle, facing all of its residents.

“Stick them in the dungeon!” someone shouted.

Everyone charged the five of them. Time slowed down. The fivesome ran back to the hidden hallway where their rooms were. Thankfully, they were untouched.

“Grab everything of importance and meet back here in five minutes” Courtney yelled. “We need to get out of here. How we are going to get through that mob, we’ll figure out later.”

All of them ran off to their respective rooms. Clara and Emmie had almost nothing worth getting, and Milli nothing, so they were back in a matter of moments. Courtney and Pablo took a few minutes, but according to Emmie’s watch, they still took less than five minutes.

“Where are we going?” Pablo asked.

“Well,” Emmie began, “not London, New York, or Brisbane. How about Orlando? I feel like visiting Disney.”

“No passages to there,” Courtney said. “But I do like your idea. Let’s just take the first passage we find.”

Everyone agreed.

“Halt!” someone yelled as soon as they were out the door. “We are under direct orders from Matthew to bring you to him alive.”

“Wait one minute,” Courtney suspiciously began, rather stunned. “You mean to say all of you work for Matthew?”

“Exactly,” the person replied.  “This was all just a fancy setup to get you to do the work for us. We already knew about Emmie’s secret talent. That’s why Matthew approached her in _Harry Potter._ We have a device that lets you travel to any person, no matter where they are. Now, we must take you to Matthew. Get them!” Hundreds of bodies surged toward the five. They had no choice but to run. Only Pablo and Courtney knew how to fight, and they didn’t feel like doing field training.

“In here, guys,” Courtney half whispered, half yelled, for the noise was so loud yelling was required, but the stealth suggested whispering, activating the passageway at the same time. “This passage has no particular destination. It was made to get you out of danger.” They all raced down it. At the end, a city sprawled. In the distance, a huge sign in the hills was visible. Hollywood, California.

“What are we going to do in Hollywood?”  Clara asked.

“Act like tourists, of course,” Courtney replied, as if that much should be obvious.

Everyone wanted to see different attractions, so they went to a hotel, rented rooms, and organized themselves. Their stay would have to last a week to see everything. If only they knew how fast the end was approaching. Their enemy was very resourceful, had many allies. He had even gained one after Milli came to reality. If only he had all his power, Matthew thought, if only. Then, they could join, become all powerful.

A day before their vacation ended, Emmie got the feeling it was time to visit a book again. There was only one left: _The Last Olympian._ This time was different, though. She wanted to go. The book wasn’t dragging her in. She was going to go in of her own free will.

“Guys, we can’t run forever,” Emmie began that morning. “We need to get the last artifact. Let’s go to _The Last Olympian_ today. Get this over with.”

Nobody argued. On the other hand, they thought that just Emmie should go. They would keep in contact with the journal. After briefing her about the last artifact, a silver arrow, Emmie left. She let the book draw her in. And then, she was in a battlefield, surrounded by others her age and monsters. It was dark outside, but the sun was beginning to rise. Weapon in hand, Emmie decided to follow everyone else’s lead- start stabbing monsters. As the sun rose, the number of monsters receded. Some retreated, while others became so clumsy that they became easy prey. At last, the final monster was killed, but nobody seemed to have taken action. Emmie found a silver arrow protruding from its neck. How would she be able to retrieve that? Everyone would see her!

Emmie continued battling for another two days, until finally, the golden opportunity presented itself. She and another girl, dressed in silver athletic wear, were the only two standing. There was one monster left. The girl shot it with her last arrow, and then retreated to where their allies were. Everyone was facing the opposite direction. Emmie went and grabbed the arrow. Her mission felt complete. Emmie wished she was back in reality, her work in the book done.

“What took you so long?” Milli asked. “We were getting bored without you. And, yes okay, worried too. We thought something bad had happened.”

“I got the last artifact,” Emmie triumphantly declared, holing up the arrow. “Now we just need to keep them from Matthew.”

As if on cue, Matthew walked right in.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hello,” he purred. “I see you have all of my pretty artifacts. Hand them over.”

“In your dreams,” Emmie retorted. “I worked hard to get them and I get to keep them.”

“But I get to take over the universe,” Matthew whined. So much for an all evil take over the world minded person. He was crying like a baby! “Well, if you won’t give them to me, I’ll take them.”

Matthew’s unseen forces charged Emmie and her friends. The artifacts began to glow. Then, Matthew’s forces were stopped by an unseen barrier.

“How can this be?” Matthew cried in outrage.

“Um, Matthew,” Monday Pablo said. He did look like Friday Pablo, now that Emmie thought of it. And so did five of Matthew’s other henchmen. They were slightly unique, but all very similar. And the redhead was there too. All of them were trying to break through the invisible barrier protecting Emmie, Clara, Milli, Courtney, and Friday Pablo.

“I can see the barrier!” Clara cried out. “It seems to be holding, but I’m not sure if it can withstand the impact of all of those guys banging into it.”

“Of course!” Courtney exclaimed. “This barrier only lets those who intend on _not_ using the objects in. Those who want to use them cannot reach them.”

“Well, I’m not so sure about its strength then,” Clara updated them. “Cracks are appearing. And, they’re spreading. We need to escape! Wait; won’t one of the objects give us power to go anywhere? We can just use it and go somewhere else.”

“Matthew will just keep finding us and pestering us,” Pablo half whined. He had no interest in anything involving Matthew, unless Matthew was being defeated and destroyed. “Just as he did back in middle school.”

“That was you pestering me!” Matthew cried.

“Let’s just beat him once and for all!” Pablo cried. “I’ve dealt with him enough!”

“Ready for some field training?” Courtney asked. “We really should get Matthew dealt with once and for all. Don’t need his escapades continuing.”

“Wait!” Emmie yelled. Everyone turned and looked at her. While they were arguing, her brain was working. If the objects repelled Matthew’s assistants, what would they do to Matthew? “Here, Matthew. I am going to place the objects in my hand. You may come and get them from my hand.”

“Emmie?!” Courtney whispered. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see,” Emmie whispered back. “I have a plan.”

Matthew strode forward, so glad the clumsy little girl had given up. He already had one artifact, the pin. Duplicates were so convenient. And the girl had completely fallen for it. Couldn’t she tell the difference between an original and a duplicate? Or had her useless cousin gotten that ability? Doesn’t matter, Matthew thought; this is the beginning of _my_ reign. All will bow to me! Now, all he had to do was grab the other three.

“Wait!” Matthew yelled. He had heavily scrutinized the objects. “Where is the ring? I do not see it. And I was not told of a gold ball.”

“Ah, now, if you had read the book, you would know what this is,” Emmie retorted. “But _you_ don’t read the books. You hire others to do it for you. Then, you take their knowledge, work, and use it for your own personal interests. As things stand, I won’t be telling you what this is, or where the ring is. Especially since you are too lazy to find out yourself.”

Matthew didn’t care that this girl had just undermined his entire operation. He was focused on taking the artifacts. He didn’t care about the ring. Or that little gold ball. Greed had taken over his mind. This is exactly what Emmie had anticipated. After seeing how the barrier affected Matthew’s assistants, she wanted to see what it would do to him.

Emmie’s plan became evident after Matthew reached the barrier. It literally began ripping him apart. His atoms were split from each other, spread across the farthest reaches of the universe. After Matthew was ripped apart, all that was left was a golden pin.

“Matthew had the real pin!” Clara exclaimed. “I knew there was something ordinary about the one you got, Emmie! He must have put a duplicate in for you. Dirty, rotten, thieving, lying…”

And then Matthew’s assistants charged them. Friday Pablo did not look pleased. Courtney stood her ground, and then pulled out something that nobody would expect, or have seen: a bronze knife. She began slashing at Matthew’s assistants. The assistants became more and more bloody every time they tried to attack. Friday Pablo lured the assistants toward Courtney, who would then slash them up.

Emmie, Clara, and Milli felt an urge to help, but were not sure how. Milli had the answer to their dilemma this time. She noticed that there were some old, bare wires along the wall. They were plugged in, supplying electricity to the lighting above. Milli also noticed that there was a large bucket of water nearby. If the assistants would gather near the wires, they could tip the bucket and fry the assistants. What a lovely sight that would be. Milli communicated her plan to Clara and Emmie, who loved it. Execution was the problem now. How to get the assistants there? Of course! Emmie thought. They were after the artifacts. She could lure them using those, and then have Milli and Clara tip the bucket over, zapping all the assistants. After relaying her plan, they waited for the perfect moment to present itself. All six assistants were charging Emmie. She backed up toward the bucket and wires, moving ever so slightly to the side of them. Milli kicked the bucket over, making sure that all the assistants and the wires were wet. Moments later, there were six wet, fried assistants lying in a puddle, electrocuted to near death.

“Brilliant!” Courtney shouted. “Now we don’t have to worry about Matthew _or_ his assistants, at least not for a very long time.”

If only Courtney knew how short an amount of time they truly had. Matthew and Aldor had both been obliterated to the same level, and had found each other. Their hate for people who kept spoiling their genius plans, of course, helped them to do so. Eventually, between their anger and Aldor’s limited remaining magic, they joined forces. As soon as they could regain a body, those kids would be dead.

“Can we go on vacation now?” Clara asked. “These have been the longest months of my life.”

Everyone agreed that this was a good idea.


	5. Epilogue

All of them enjoyed their vacation. As nobody lived at the castle anymore, they had its entire Swiss bank account to themselves. There was so much money that they were able to go on a world tour, visiting some of the most famous landmarks in the world. Despite their spending, the account remained healthy, so they now have apartments in various cities.

Emmie continued to visit her favorite books, but her situation was slightly different. Instead of being a side character, unmentioned by the narrative, she became the main character. It was a unique experience. Also, when she brought a friend, they also became a character.

After a few years of their relaxed lifestyle, a few rumblings of Matthew and Aldor surfaced. Random, nondescript things were vanishing. These things became bigger, eventually becoming people. The media picked up on it, trying to crack the mysterious, unsolvable, mythical case. Only the fivesome knew what was truly occurring. Matthew was returning, and perhaps with Aldor at his side.

Their fears were confirmed one Saturday morning in Brisbane, while they were out shopping for groceries.  Even though it had been the place where their problems began, it was still their favorite city. Clara went to go look a sale in a store, but never returned. Instead, scrawled on a wall in a foreign language, and written in an otherwise invisible ink, Emmie, Courtney, Milli, and Pablo found the terrifying message “Matthew is kidnapping me. He has Aldor on his side. He will probably try to come and take you too. I’ll do my best to resist, but, please, come for me soon. Best of luck, Clara.” Their only reassurance was that Clara had a journal that would allow her to communicate with them, linked with Emmie’s and Courtney’s.


End file.
